Latest France Headlines
All the headlines from our France Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Allianz Eyes Purchasing Generali’s French Operations: Sources
Dec 16 2016 // Allianz SE, Europe’s largest insurer, is in discussions with Assicurazioni Generali SpA as it weighs a bid for the company’s French operations, according to people familiar with the matter. Allianz executives...
EU Court to Decide Whether Uber Is an App or a Transport Company
Nov 30 2016 // Fifteen judges at the European Union’s top court are trying to decide, once and for all, whether Uber Technologies Inc. is an app or a transport company. The question has long vexed regulators and lawmakers across...
XL Catlin Enhances D&O Offering in France
Nov 23 2016 // XL Catlin has enhanced its directors & officers insurance offering in France with the launch of three coverages catering respectively to mid-sized companies, publicly listed companies and financial institutions. These...
French Utility Firm Veolia Beefs Up Cyber Security to Protect Water Plants
Oct 19 2016 // Veolia Environnement SA, the French utility that provided drinking water to 100 million people last year, has beefed up cyber security to protect installations from hackers. “Cyber crime is the main threat for the...
France to Hike Premium Tax to Bolster Compensation Fund for Attack Victims
Oct 19 2016 // France plans to increase a levy on property insurance policies to 5.90 euros [$6.30] from 4.30 euros [$4.59] per contract to bolster a fund that provides compensation to victims of attacks or other criminal acts. Following...
Idaho French Fry Maker in a Twist over Alleged Fry Design Infringement
Oct 17 2016 // Two major french fry producers are facing a court battle over a new twisty fry design. The Times-News reported the J.R. Simplot company of Boise, Idaho filed a patent infringement lawsuit against McCain Foods in U.S....
Beazley Adds ArgoGlobal’s Paulin to Aviation Team in France
Sep 19 2016 // Beazley announced that Christophe Paulin will join at the end of this month as an aviation underwriter, managing its aviation business in France and developing its aerospace/products portfolio worldwide. He will be based...
French Women Took Sanofi Epilepsy Drug Despite Risk to Fetuses: Report
Aug 11 2016 // More than 10,000 pregnant women in France took Sanofi’s anti-epilepsy drug Depakine between 2007 and 2014 although the risk of fetus malformation was known, according to a study quoted by French satirical weekly Le...
France in Mourning After Latest Deadly Terror Attack Kills at Least 84
Jul 15 2016 // Eight months after a murderous rampage in Paris, a deadly attack in the coastal city of Nice on Bastille Day left at least 84 people dead and scores injured, threatening to throw a still-traumatized France into a tailspin...
French & German Floods to Hit Insurers’ Earnings but Not Ratings: A.M. Best
Jun 27 2016 // The earnings of French and German insurers during the first half of 2016 will be dampened by flood claims following storms Elvira and Friederike, which pounded the countries in quick succession between late May and early...
Winners of 1st Innovation in Insurance Awards Are ‘Change Leaders’
Jun 13 2016 // The winners of the first annual Innovation in Insurance awards include Allianz, AXA, Europ Assistance, MS&AD Insurance, and USAA. The program, jointly launched by Efma and Accenture, seeks to reward and foster...
Insured Losses from French Floods May Total $682M: Industry Association AFA
Jun 6 2016 // Insurance executives meet with government officials in Paris Monday to assess the cost of flooding in the Centre and Ile-de-France regions as the Seine river recedes from its highest levels in more than three decades. The...
Torrential Rain Triggers Floods in France; Seine Rises to Highest Level in 34 Years
Jun 2 2016 // Paris’s Seine River rose to its highest level in more than 34 years, disrupting train traffic and prompting the Louvre museum to shut to move some its artwork from flood-prone storage areas. As torrential rains...
Report Says Climate Change Could Make Some Wines Less Tasty
May 12 2016 // When you go to one of those giant annual insurance conferences ever wonder how much wine – in terms of gallons, number of glasses, bottles, dollar value – is consumed at all the evening mixers and up-scale soirees over...
French Startup Drivy (‘Airbnb for Cars’) Raises $35M to Expand; Insured by Allianz
Apr 28 2016 // Drivy, a French startup that lets people hire out their cars in much the same way Airbnb runs a market for houses, said Thursday it raised 31 million euros ($35 million) to fund its continued expansion across...
U.S. Lags Belgium, France, Other Nations in Domestic Security
Apr 18 2016 // The U.S. is less capable of managing security issues within its borders than 32 other nations, including France and Belgium, according to a new global ranking. Singapore is the most capable of maintaining domestic security...
Islamic Militants Could Target Nuclear Industry, Security Experts Warn
Apr 1 2016 // Meter-thick concrete walls and 1950s-style analog control rooms help protect nuclear plants from bomb attacks and computer hackers, but Islamist militants are turning their attention to the atomic industry’s weak...
Update: AXA’s Chairman & CEO De Castries to Retire Early; Buberl Named CEO
Mar 21 2016 // AXA SA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Henri de Castries is leaving earlier than expected, handing over the post of CEO to Thomas Buberl as France’s largest insurer splits its top jobs. De Castries, 61, will...
XL Catlin Restructures South Europe Insurance Operations; Managers Appointed
Mar 16 2016 // XL Catlin’s insurance segment announced that it has restructured its Southern Europe operations to include France alongside Italy and Iberia. Southern Europe is led by Regional Manager Bruno Laval, who takes on an...
Germanwings Probe Urges Change for Pilots’ Medical Privacy, License-Loss Cover
Mar 14 2016 // Pilots would lose privacy protection for health records and airlines would need insurance when the employees lose their license under a proposal from the French air-safety agency that investigated the deliberate crash of a...
